Apparatus for treating hydrocarbon oils



June 5, 1928. f

n F. E. WELLMAN APPARATUS FOR TREATING HYDRocARBoN oILs Filed MaICh 20,1923 2 Sheets-Sheet l f?? fl l June 5,1926. 1,672,668

F. E. WELLMAN APPARATUS yFOR. TREATING HYDRCARBON 'OILS Filed'march 2o,192s 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented .lune 5, 19289.

i FRANK E. WELLMAN, 0F KANSAS'CITY, KANSAS. v

'APPARATUS Fon, TREATKING HYDRooARBoN oILLs.y

Application filed March 20,

My invention relates. to apparatus for'v cracking hydrocarbon oils, thepresent invention being somewhat in the nature of an improvement on myco-pending. application Serial No. 565,633, filed June 3, 1922, as tolgenera-l type of apparatus and the method of heating. This applicationhas matured into 4Patent No. 1,639,622, on Aug., 16, 1927.

Among lthe objects of theinvention are to reduce the deposition ofcarbon on thefstill walls, to increase the amount of oil that can betreated in an apparatus of given content before it becomes necessary toshut down in order to clean out carbon deposits, and. to eifect aneconomical improvement in the ratio of yield and quality of product.Other objects will appear from a perusal of the following specificationand drawings accompanying the same.

In the drawings, which illustrate apreferred forni of apparatus forcarrying out my invention:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through ythe center of the still taken onthe line l-l of Fig. 2.with the tubes back of the plane of the sectionomitted for the sake of clearness; Fig. 2 is a top plan View of theapparatus; and

Fig. 3 kis atransverse or horizontal section vtaken on the line 3-3 ofFig. 1.

Referring to the drawings in detail, 1 designates acylindrical furnaceor heating chamber in which is mounted av circular series of verticalcracking tubes 2 arranged around the inside of the furnace wall andslightly spaced therefromy as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The tubes areL-shapedj with the bottom 3 of each tube-projecting out through vandbeyond the .furnace wall where it is' flanged and capped on the end asindicated at 4. The upper ends of the tubes 2 extend up through thefurnace cover 5, and are capped as indicated at 6. Thus allthe cappedends ofthe tubes lare outside of the furnace. To take Vapor off from theoil while preventing the oil from foaming over into the vapor line,vaporizing drumsf7 are provided around the top ofthe furnace, each ofwhich is connected with several of the cracking-tubes 2 and a commonvapor line 8, in the present embodiment, ythe sixteen cracking tubesbeing portioned among the four vaporizing drums in groups of fourconnected to the drums through pipes 9, see Figs. l and 2. e

1.9273. v ASerial No. 626,386.

Near the outer ends of the bottom portions y f 3 ofthe cracking tubes,connection is made voutside the furnace between y,the vcracking tubesandy ak manifold 10, extending around the furnace in the formof a splitcircle or C with the ends 11 and 12 of the C-forrn closed or capped asindicated at 13 and 14. Outside circulating pipes 15 connect thevaporizing drums 7 below-.the liquid level, with manifold 10. f

A pair of pipes 16 and 17 connect with the ends 11 and 12,respectively', of the manifold 10, which pipes function alternately' assupply and residuum draw-olf pipes. To enable-this interchange of func-vtion to be effected both pipes are extendedk vfrom the still to thedesired Vpoint of dischargevthrough block valves 18 and 19, and betweenthese valves and the still both are connected through switching blockvalves 20 and 21 tothe supply pipe 22. Thus with valves 21 .and 18closed, and 20 and 19 open, pipe 16 becomes the supply connection andpipe 17 the draw off, the'rate 'of supply and draw oli' being controlledby valves 20 and 19, respectively.V Obviously an interchange .offunctionbetween pipes 16 and 17 will be effected upon a reversal of thesettingk of the valves 18, 19, 20 and 21. To enable a return distillatesuch as the reflux from a fractionator, to be fed into the still alongwith the supply, a conducting pipe 23 for such return distillate isconnected to both pipes'16 and 17 through suitable switching valves 24and 25 ybetween the still and the valves 20 and 21.

Heat is imparted to the cracking tubes within thefurnace by a rotatingsource of heat, in the form of a rotating burner 26, similar to those ofmy co-pending applications Serial No. 523,062, filed December 17, 1921(Patent No,`1,576,563, March .16, 1926) and Serial No. 532,873,filedJanuary 30,

A'1922 (Patent No. 1,581,896, April Q20, 1926).

ln the present arrangement the burner 26 is suppliedwith fuel andairthrough the fuel and air pipes 27 and 28 respectively, which togetherwith the rotary member 29-of a swiveled coupling 30 and diaphragm 31 arerotated within the circular series of cracking tubes by means-of thebevel gears 32-and driving pulley 33 connected with a suitable source ofpower, not shown. The bottom stationary part 34 of the swivel couplingis supplied with fuel and air through the staa rod 4() hung from1theffurnace cover.

While for producing the required draft through the furnace a stack` 121is provided. with which the upper portion of the furnace chamberconnects through pipe A L12.

In the operation; of the stillto carryout the preferred' crackingprocess, it is iiV charged, through oney oftheI pair of pipes` 16-17,for example, pipeltlby Way; of supply'` pipe 22, valve 20, pipe 16 andmani-- fold 10,to the Woi'li-ingflevel as indicated at 43, Which oillmay ormay not'be warmed or preheated. The'buriiei'-'261istlienl put inopT eration and the oil in thev craclriiig tubes brought up to thedesiredcracking tempera` ture.` Vapore liberated from the oil inthevaporizing drums 7 are conducted olf? through the vaporfline 3 tosuitable frac tionatiiig, condensingand receiving devices, not shown,but which may be` of any lniown orA other suitable type, While enoughinalrcupisrpumped in by'vvay ofthe manifold l() andpipe 16, to maintainthe Woi'king'level 43. After the make-up amounts to the original.charge-.the-inethodof operation is changed. Residuuinisnovv drawn oli'and theinake up. ispuinped in.` fast enough to replace the-oildravvnzoitf inl vapor form and as residuum. By governing these threefac, tors that` is, vaporl drawn-off, residuum drawn. off, and make'up', We controleur percentage.. 'The vapor. is continuously conducted ofthrough the vapor line 8; While the level `is. maintained by drawing:off the residuum froinv-the end 12; ofi tliemanifold 10 byv Way of pipel?, the amount drawn oiiA being controlled by valve 19. intermediatedistillates such as, there/flux from al f f tionator, areiretuinedtothe-still along Wit the oii supply byrWay` of they return distillatepipei23, valvexe, pipezltland manifold 10. vWhen@ the run is`halfipoverl the flowI of supply and residuuin dravv-ott` isv reversedbya'reversingi the-.setting of the valves, that is by closing valvesQO,24, and 19, and opening. valves217 25. and.: 18.

The carbondeposit istl'iiclest. at the end Where the residuum is drawnoff.' and grad-- uates down tonothing at the point Where chargingisstarted..r lThus by reversing the` flow in thef manner described vafairly even deposition of carbon` on the different tubes isbrought'about. resultinginza delayof the necessityfor u. shutfdown forcleaning.

In one reductionrgtopractice ofthe present invention, inf Wliiohl theVouttf comprised eight-zthree inchgtubes and eighti four inch tubes withten feet in: vthefurnace, l have runzsiXty gallons` aiiihogur W-ith".very.'4 good results. In running this outfit, fifty barrels ie'zaeeadrawing oif residuuin both the'latter means'v being at different pointsnear thebottonr of the retort, and means for reversing said-V points ofsupplyand Withdrawal.'

2. Apparatus for treating hydrocarbon oils comprising a retort andxmeansforheat' ing the same, a drummember connected-With the upper end of saidretort', a. circulating conduit extending from the drumto av'point nearthe bottoni of said retortbeyondftheinfluence of the lieatingnneans,vmeans fordrawing oil vapors from a point above ther upper junction ofthe drum: andncirculatingf conduit, and reversible meansV for feedingoily to the retort and fori'emoving; the residuumif therefrom at.separated; pointslneaniftlie' lower i junction of the retort andcirculating conduit..

3. Apparatus for crackingr hydrocarbon oils comprising ai furnace;alpluralityrof Averi tical cracking tubes arranged inta-circlel thereinhavingtheir upperfends extending outside the furnace and their lowerends.L

extending;v radially outside I' the furnace, a manifold extending4aroundtheyoutsidef-of the furnace in the'for'mY ofia split circle;l martifold connections between said manifold andiM the lower outside endsofrthezcrackingtubes, and means for feeding-oil.throughlsaid'y maneifold to thecra'cliing tubes .vvherebyithedirection of oivmay bereversed.' at different-o times.

4i. Apparatus for. crackinghydrocarbon:

oil comprising a furnace, a plurality ofver tical cracking tubesarrangedI invv a circle'. therein and` terminating outs-idesthe furnace,

a manifold connectingV With the lovverfendsfA of said cracking tubesoutside i the i furnacegl means for interchangeably feedingoill tothe.L

several tubes through yone-.end-of'tlie inani-` fold and for drawing`offiresiduuinfrom.the.;

tubes throughthe otherarend ofrlthe manifold;`

circulating conduits arrangedk to conduct oilifroin the upperends ofthecracking 'tubes to: tlic manifold, and means fortaking.oifva-V poi's atpoint near the upperjunction ofi? the cracking tubesvvith thecirculating cone duits.

Apparatus for cracking hydrocarbonzw oils` as claimed inclaiinthavingvaporizingf vdrums connectedk between groups. ofi'saidly cracking tubesand lsaid circulating conduits-,zl and i'iicaiis torVdrawingoffvaporsifromisaidf drums.

. Apparatus for cracking hydrocarbon oils as claimed in claim 3, inwhich vthe said feeding means are adapted to draw off f residuum fromthe manifold from eitherend thereof.

7. Apparatus fork treatin oils comprising a vertical sha t furnace openat the bottom for the influx of air and closed at the top with a fluevent thereat for products of Combustion, combustion heating means in thelower partof said shaft furnace,and a retort extending therethrough fromthe bottom to top, comprising a vertically arranged L-shaped crackingtube vwith its top end projecting through the top of the furnace and itsbottoni projecting laterallyl through the side wall of the furnace, aVapor` residuum from said retort and other means hydrocarbon 4kfordrawing off vapor from Asaid vapor drum. v y

8,. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7 with the additionalfeatures of meansfor directing the heat of combustionl from the heating means in thelower part of the furnace shaft against the Vertical Walls of theenclosed retort, as the products of combustion lrise in the shaft.

9. The apparatus claimed in claim 7 with the additional features of aplurality of retort tubes arrangedas described, Combustion heating meansarranged'toldirect heatedv i products of combustion against all of saidtubes, and balin means in said furnace above the said com ustionapparatus, shaped and arranged to direct the products of combustionand'heat currents laterally against ythe vertical walls of the'retorttubes as said currents rise in the furnace.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affixmy signature. f 1

yFRANK E. WELLMAN. e

